News from the Heights

Le Moyne College Nursing Department Joins Effort to Support Veterans and Military Families

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (For Immediate Release) … The Department of Nursing at Le Moyne College has committed to participating in the Joining Forces effort, aimed at further educating the nation’s 3 million nurses so they are prepared to meet the unique health needs of service members, veterans and their families.

Led by the American Nurses Association, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the National League for Nursing, in coordination with the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, Le Moyne, along with other nursing organizations and schools, has committed to educate current and future nurses on how to recognize and care for veterans impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression and other combat-related issues.

“Nurses are particularly important because they are often the first people patients see when they seek health care,” said Susan Bastable, professor and chair of the Department of Nursing. “Our commitment to this effort is essential in ensuring that our returning service men and women receive the care they deserve.”

Efforts at Le Moyne will include curriculum integration, ensuring that current and future nursing students are educated and trained in the unique clinical challenges and best practices associated with caring for veterans and their families; faculty development; and student clinical experiences focused on enhancing the care of veterans, service members and their families.

Le Moyne is also making plans to be involved in Honor Flight Syracuse, a new initiative in Central New York to provide veterans with the opportunity to fly to Washington, D.C., for a day of honor and the opportunity to reflect at the national monuments honoring their service. Several faculty and students have volunteered to form a health and safety team to accompany veterans on the trips, which begin this fall out of Syracuse, in case individual health issues arise.

ThinkProgress.org includes Le Moyne as one of 11 institutions across the country that "...are taking concrete steps to amend their policies, expand their training programs, and let new students know they want to improve" as it relates to sexual assaults.